The present invention relates generally to food service containers, and, more particularly, to a method of forming a variable sized and shaped pizza box and apparatus thereof.
Throughout the world, and especially in the United States, pizza has been and continues to be a well known and loved meal. Going out for pizza, or its ordering in, has become a tradition for many individuals, families, and groups. In order to transport a pizza during delivery, to store a pizza for later consumption, or to take home leftover pizza, the well well-known, typically rectangular, cardboard pizza box is utilized. Although these prior art pizza boxes are suitable for whole pizzas, their designs are deficient for slices or portions of a pizza amounting to less than a whole pizza.
For instance, a whole pizza pie is typically round with a plurality of cuts therethrough to form a plurality of generally triangularly-shaped slices. After some of the slices have been removed, the remaining slices no longer fit snugly within the rectangular pizza box. As a result, during transportation and storage, the remaining pizza slices typically slide about the inside of the box, often causing undesirable dislocation of the pizza toppings.
Moreover, one of the most prominent disadvantages associated with prior art pizza boxes is their inefficient of use of space. In other words, for storage, many people will place left-over pizza inside the refrigerator in the original pizza box. The large rectangular box inefficiently occupies significantly more space in the refrigerator than is needed. In addition, the standard size prior-art pizza box does not fit within a standard size microwave oven; thus, one must remove the pizza from its box prior to its re-heating.
In an attempt to overcome the abovementioned disadvantages, a design has been proposed wherein a standard rectangular pizza box has a plurality of perforated score lines for tearing and folding therealong to form a generally smaller rectangular pizza box. An example of such a design may be found by reference to U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,062 to Bradley et al. Although Bradley reduces the overall size of the original standard pizza box, it fails to provide a spatially efficient box that conforms to the shape of typical pizza slices. In other words, triangularly-shaped pizza slices placed within the reduced sized rectangular pizza box results in unused space and, thus, a spatially inefficient design.
It is, therefore, readily apparent that a new and improved apparatus and method of forming a variable sized and shaped pizza box is needed that, in its original state, can contain a whole pizza therein, and that, in its altered and reduced state, is transformable into a generally triangularly-shaped pizza box that efficiently can contain a smaller portion of pizza. It is, therefore, to the provision of such an improvement that the present invention is directed.
Briefly described, in a preferred embodiment, the present invention both overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages, and meets the recognized needs for such a device, by providing an apparatus and method of forming a variable sized and shaped pizza box.
More specifically, in a preferred embodiment, the present invention comprises a generally rectangular blank of preferably cardboard material having a multitude of strategically positioned cut lines, fold lines, and perforated tear lines. The present invention can be formed into at least two differently shaped and sized boxes; thus, efficiently accommodating a whole pizza in its original rectangular shape and efficiently accommodating a slice, or other portion, of pizza in its reduced-size, triangular shape.
The original rectangularly-shaped pizza box, preferably, is a commonly-known, prior art pizza box having the typical fold and cut lines. The present invention, however, may be incorporated into any known rectangularly-shaped folding pizza box generally having fold lines formed around all four edges of the box and spaced a distance therefrom for forming the bottom two side walls, the bottom front side wall, the top two side walls, and the top front side wall, and two spaced-apart fold lines formed near the center of the blank for forming the rear side wall of the pizza box.
In addition to the typical cut and fold lines found in a common pizza box, the present invention comprises, generally, eight sets of perforated tear lines. The first set generally begins at one side edge of the pizza box and extends approximately along and parallel with the fold line proximal to the front edge, to a predetermined point preferably less than half the width of the pizza box. Next, extending therefrom at approximately a 135-degree angle is the second set of perforated tear lines. The second set generally extends to the fold line formed proximal to the other side edge of the pizza box. Preferably located at approximately the mid-point between the two side edges is the third set of perforated tear lines. This set interrupts the second set by forming a generally U-shaped tab portion extending generally downward from, and perpendicular to, the second set. The tab portion formed by the third set is used to secure the triangularly-shaped pizza box in the closed position.
The fourth set extends upwardly from the end of the second set and generally along the fold line to approximately the first spaced-apart fold line formed near the center of the blank for forming the rear side wall of the pizza box when folded. The fifth set extends generally outward to the proximal side edge. The sixth set begins generally at the intersection of the second spaced-apart fold line formed near the center and the side edge fold line proximal thereto, and extends upwardly along said the side edge fold line a predetermined distance equal to approximately the height of a side wall of the box. The seventh set extends therefrom at approximately a 45-degree angle until the seventh set intersects the fold line proximal to the rear edge of the blank, wherein the eighth set extends generally along the fold line proximal to the rear edge to the same side edge as the first set begins.
Preferably, two additional fold lines are formed in the blank to assist in folding the two edges formed by the second and seventh set of perforated tear lines to form one side of the triangularly-shaped pizza box when in the closed position. In addition, a slit is formed proximal to the fold line that is distal from the tab portion formed by the third set of perforated tear lines for receiving the tab portion therein to secure the triangularly-shaped pizza box in the closed position. The perforations also serve to vent the steam generated within the box to prevent the pizza from becoming soggy.
Thus, an object, feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a new and improved variable sized and shaped pizza box that is generally rectangular in its initial state for accommodating a whole pizza and is triangularly shaped in its altered state for accommodating a slice or slices smaller portion of pizza.
Another object, feature, and advantage of the present invention is to provide a new and improved variable sized and shaped pizza box having a plurality of strategically placed perforated tear lines and fold lines such that a standard rectangular pizza box can be easily reduced to a smaller, more efficient, triangularly-shaped pizza box.
A further object, feature, and advantage of the present invention is to provide a new and improved variable sized and shaped pizza box that can be reconfigured without the need for tools or utensils.
Another and further object, feature, and advantage of the present invention is to provide a new and improved variable sized and shaped pizza box that does not require the removal of the pizza in order to reconfigure the box.
Yet another object, feature, and advantage of the present invention is to provide a new and improved variable sized and shaped pizza box wherein the reconfigured box may fit into a standard-sized microwave oven.
Still another object, feature, and advantage of the present invention is to provide a new and improved variable sized and shaped pizza box having perforations formed therein for venting steam generated by a warm pizza contained inside the box in order to prevent the pizza from becoming soggy.
Other objects, features, advantages, and characteristics of the present invention, as well as the methods of operation, construction, and function of the related elements and structure will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims, with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification.